Commerce Department’s National Travel & Tourism Office, Costa Rica ranked 15th among international destinations for Americans, with more than 1 million visiting in 2017. In 2017 alone tourism brought in $3.9 billion for the economy, according to the tourism chamber.Īccording to the U.S.
Tourism makes up a large portion of the nation’s economy.īloomberg reported that Costa Rica had nearly 3 million tourists visit the country in 2017, with almost half the visitors coming from the U.S. The recent string of homicides might have financial consequences for the country as well. Police are investigating his cause of death. Cook had retired and was living in a small town outside of San Jose. In October, the body of 62-year-old Vermont-native Thomas Cook was found in a shallow grave after he was being reported missing for weeks, Fox News reported. Shortly after the murders security minister Michael Soto told Bloomberg, “There has already been damage done to the country’s image.” Authorities confirmed her identity the next day and took Martinez into custody on December 4.The brutal deaths were a huge concern to Costa Rican authorities at the time. A few days later, on December 3, authorities found a body near her Airbnb. Meanwhile, the family continues their search for answers with a social media presence using the hashtag #JusticeforCarla.įamily of Florida woman murdered in Costa Rica suing Airbnb, Costa Rican resort where she stayedĪBC Action News was the first to report Stefaniak's disappearance on November 28. But he won’t reveal if it’s Martinez or someone else. “We do know there is a DNA match of one person," he said. Rivera Cheves says one of the most crucial pieces of evidence is new DNA results. We reached out to the OIJ for comment but have not heard back. So far Costa Rican authorities, known as the Organismo de Investigación Judicial, have only charged Martinez. Those tourists moving into the room on the same day Stefaniak was scheduled to check-out he says. In such a manner that other foreign tourists were hosted in the same room as if nothing had happened," said Rivera Cheves. Specifically, for Rivera Cheves, how quickly it was cleaned of blood. The body would have been moved from the second floor and the length of about four football fields to the wooded area where she was discovered. Stefaniak weighed approximately 195 pounds, he says. “For one person to move her from the room where the crime happened to the other place-which is over 400 yards away- is quite a bit complicated, right? because the body shows no signs of being dragged," he said. He's sharing evidence he insists supports long-held family claims.Ĭarla Stefaniak: Body found in Costa Rica identified by family as missing Florida woman “We are considering that there could be at least five suspects that participated in the crime to cover up this heinous murder," said Rivera Cheves through a video interview. He believes Martinez couldn’t have been the only one involved. We spoke exclusively with Joseph Rivera Cheves, he's the family’s attorney in Costa Rica. Investigators arrested security guard Bismark Martinez. We’re getting a never-seen-before look inside the criminal investigation into Carla Stefaniak's murder.Ĭosta Rican police found her body half-buried near an Airbnb she was renting. A Florida tourist was murdered in Costa Rica, and now her family's attorney told ABC Action News about crucial new evidence in the high profile tragedy.
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